Boris Johnson ..... would you?

Vote for him I mean. Personally, I find he makes me want to inflict pain on myself and my vegetables. Any London ajarners vote for the nasty smug toff twit? And he's a self-confessed racist cnut! Would never have come back to England if I'd known it was gonna turn back into Toff-Tory Land, I thought we'd seen the back of pricks like these when William Hague and Michael Portillo were erased from public view! If the tories get in at the next election I'm gonna sell my hard-boiled egg collection and emigrate to France [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/smile.gif]

ever see him on "have i got news for you?" absolute class......they tear him to pieces

Nah...he's hillarious...pleased for him I am....reminds me of that bloke with the hammer in Thailand...but less sinister...

He comes across as a thick cnut ...... read up on some of the things he has said in the past and he's actually a nasty bigot with some very strange ideas.

A buffoon, he'll be exposed for the incompetent Tory boy he is soon enough. Tories are all cut from the same cloth... To be fair, there's a total lack of decent politicians at the moment, and people are apathetic about politics at best.

It's laughable really IMO. Politics has become a personality contest in the UK since Blair started the ball rolling. Poor old Gordon Brown may have made a few mistakes and the long-serving Labour government may have made a few misjudgments and errors, but we are in serious danger of being plunged back into Tory-toff led darkness because of the smart one-liners and cheesy grins of a new generation of Old Etonians. All I hear is sarcastic quips about the government from the new Tory boys - not a policy statement in sight! People have such short memories and have forgotten the horrible aftermath of Thatcher's short-termism and lack of public investment. I find it very difficult to believe that people will de-elect Labour because their house's value has fallen by 5% (despite the 200% increases while Labour have goverened!), but that seems to be the way it is going. Political debate has really gone downhill here while I've been away. Mr. Blair the prime culprit I believe [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/sad.gif]

I would have voted for him yes. I despise the labour party and everything they used to stand for.

Oh dear. Are you a Tory-toff then as well as a miserable git? [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/smile.gif]

Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you.html#post944740) People have such short memories and have forgotten the horrible aftermath of Thatcher's short-termism and lack of public investment. You also have a short memory then - you have forgotten the heady days of 90% income tax, inflation in the late 20's and the country being bankrupted (by the Labour party)? Thatchers party had to pick the pieces up after that abysmal fiscal mismanagement. Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you.html#post944751) Oh dear. Are you a Tory-toff then as well as a miserable git? I much prefer the Conservative party's economic policies. I don't consider myself bitter at all though - bitter about what?

Boris Johnson was great on "have I got news for you?" and that's all that I know about him. I've never been interested in British politics partly because I can't vote and partly because it's so dull. Hopefully Boris will add a bit of humour to the proceedings. To answer the question; I would if I could but I can't.

It's a shame because the Tories were highly likely to die off a few years ago, which would have been great for politics and for the country. There's nothing worse than a bunch of right-wing hypocrites lecturing us about morals while banging their secretaries dressed up in football outfits...

Quote Originally Posted by sageandonion You also have a short memory then Not a short memory mate ...... just younger than you [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/wink.gif] We could argue all day ..... I think most people in the UK would agree that it has been pretty prosperous for most of the last 30 years under successive Tory and Labour governments. Cyclical economic fluctuations aside, I think it's been a steep upward spiral for most folks even if there is a lot of resentment from people that we have slipped down the world order a few places. I just see a new generation of Tory politicians with absolutely no policies on offer, nothing new, nothing different - just lots of negative pokes and jibes at a rather stale government. David Cameron and Boris Johnson just say what they think their audience wants to hear at any given moment. While all politicians are guilty of this a little, I think traditionally politicians have come into the game led by a set of principles - with the new Tory generation it seems like they are in politics to get rich and famous at other people's expense!

^ Exactly. They just miss power, and are probably going to do well over the next few years purely because people are pissed off with Labour, similar to the Tories in 1997.

Quote Originally Posted by SageAndOnion I much prefer the Conservative party's economic policies You must be quite surprised then by Tory Party's criticism of Labour's readjustment of income-tax bands in favour of the middle-classes. It's a classic Tory-boy policy, pulled out by Labour and yet the Tories are lambasting them for it [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/rock.gif] Like I said - cheap personality-led politics is all!

Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you.html#post944771) We could argue all day ..... No we can't, I have a guest for dinner. [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/tounge.gif] Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you.html#post944771) I just see a new generation of Tory politicians with absolutely no policies on offer That might be because the Labour party stole most of them to get in in the first place. Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you.html#post944771) think traditionally politicians have come into the game led by a set of principles - with the new Tory generation it seems like they are in politics to get rich and famous at other people's expense! I did used to be interested in politics but that has waned a lot over the years. As you said, the country has done pretty well for the last 30 years, regardless of the incumbent government. I do however have reservations about politicians in general, much the same as I do with policemen. That is to say that anyone who wants to be one, probably shouldn't be allowed to.

BJ's election sums up the increasingly vacuous, nonebrity obsessed culture we live in. He's a bit of a larf with a silly haircut, and that seems to be enough.

Add to that the fact that he confesses to drinking too much, blames all the social problems on immigrants and is of questionable morality and I believe we have everything that is required to lead one of the world's most important cities.

^ I don't know anything about this Boris guy but wasn't "red ken" a bit of a joke too?

Yeah, but at least he knew about what he was doing and came from a public service management background. Boris fell out of the public school system and picked the easiest way for an ugly dinosaur to get famous ..... politics!

I think you may well be suprised at Boris.He is no fool ,flamboyant yes, much along the same lines an Piers Morgan. Boris has been like Icarus and flown too near the sun but he has leaernt his lesson. Red Ken was a lad full of cronyism ethics,a psuedo socialist,very much an agitprop member in his younger days with his buddy Arthur Scargill. Hopefully there is going to be a new era a coming in British politics.Gordon Clown along with pretty boy Blair (Bush's lap dog) have shafted the U.K. long enough.'' The times they are a changing''

Quote Originally Posted by parnassos View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post944862) ^ I don't know anything about this Boris guy but wasn't "red ken" a bit of a joke too? In his early days, maybe for the right wing press that held sway in the UK at the time. But at least, as defender said, he had a background. The last budget Boris had to handle was for his purchases at the Eton tuck shop. Now he's responsible for millions. I suppose he'll just be a figurehead, with all the work being done by his administration. Anyway, it was a free and fair election so I guess London has the mayor it deserves.

Quote Originally Posted by Fortesque Smythe Brown View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post944906) have shafted the U.K. How so? Quote Originally Posted by Cyrille View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post944914) The last budget Boris had to handle was for his purchases at the Eton tuck shop. Now he's responsible for millions. That's not true ..... he bragged on a TV debate about having run a company, but when chalenged admitted that he only had a handful of employees [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/grin.gif]

I was laughing my head off at this until yesterday. Its occured to me, how many times did Forest get promoted under Ken Livingston? None. Its only take Boris 24 hours to do what ken failed to do in 8 years. Ken OUT! Boris IN!

Defender. How many people are now suffering because of the removal of the 10 pence tax band ? Said tax band was for low income earners now they are getting hit at the higher rate of taxation. I presume you did note that the highest increase in multi millionaires was last year under ''New Labour" to the cost of the man and the woman in the street. Indeed a strange brand of socialism,to go with that can Gordon Clown explain the logic as to why he sold the U.K. gold reserves at a cut price sale. I am sure Gordon Clown can't blame umpteen years of Tory misrule, can he ? Indeed.a rather a strange brand of socialist,upper middle class Tony with a mortage repayment of 250,000 pounds a year for their London place,Cherie with her up market apartments in Bath. Hmm: the old founders of the Labour must be sadly disappointed in ''The New Labour Party''.

Quote Originally Posted by Fortesque Smythe Brown View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945430) Indeed.a rather a strange brand of socialist,upper middle class Tony with a mortage repayment of 250,000 pounds a year for their London place,Cherie with her up market apartments in Bath. You forgot his latest acquisition... Blair buys £4million stately home after Cherie 'fell in love with it Some nice pictures here The new Tony Towers: Blair buys £4million stately home after Cherie 'fell in love with it' | the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=563854&in_page_id=1770) How Boris performs remains to be seen. But I think that many of you are missing the point. They didn't vote for him because he's a Tory but for the very qualities that you deride - he's gloriously politically incorrect, and that is what the country (and Londoners in particular) want.

^^ True, but there's no place for socialism in the modern world, Blair showed that by keeping out the Tories for ten years, hurrah! And their response is to copy the same ideas as Nu Labour and occupy the same ground with a Blair lookalike. Blair's legacy (the two-faced saveloy) will be as big, if not bigger, than Maggie's. ^ Yep, it's a kick against Ken and Labour electing Boris. He lives in Henley for god's sake! Also, if you're claiming Boris and Piers Morgan are similar, then they both should be put down for the good of the human race.

Quote Originally Posted by Fortesque Smythe Brown View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945430) How many people are now suffering because of the removal of the 10 pence tax band ? Said tax band was for low income earners now they are getting hit at the higher rate of taxation. Actually nobody's suffering, the government have accepted their misjudgment and will compensate anybody who's lost out. Now if only the UK's highest earners could be forced to pay any income tax we'd all be OK. Quote Originally Posted by Fortesque Smythe Brown View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945430) explain the logic as to why he sold the U.K. gold reserves at a cut price sale. Sorry, that affects me how? You were talking about how the people had been 'shafted' - sorry mate I just don't see it. Life's pretty good here - not great for everyone unfortunately, but that's unavoidable. The things that are upsetting folk at the moment are rising prices (fuel, food etc.) and economic concerns - both outside of government control. Unfortunately the Tory party seem to think that that is enough to get them through the next election and are planning to wing it without actually offering any policies as to how they might change things.

Quote Originally Posted by defender View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945682) Actually nobody's suffering, the government have accepted their misjudgment and will compensate anybody who's lost out. Now if only the UK's highest earners could be forced to pay any income tax we'd all be OK. Wrong, I'll suffer. By the time I leave England, I'll have been paid £9000 tax. On that, I'll have paid £1250 tax. At the end of the tax year, I'll have a tax bill of £800, so will get £450 back. Under the old rules, I'd have a total tax bill of £500, so would be getting £750 back. I won't be getting any compensation in any form from the government because my current salary is above the threshold (I'd be winnning by £10/month if I stayed the entire tax year, which is actually worse than last year when I was better off by £15 due to the change in tax band, so even at £21k I'm being shafted by £5/month in real terms.). Obviously, I'm a rare case, but the fact remains that the only people to benefit from this change has been the rich, whilst some of the poor, especially those confused by it all and not wanting the hassle of filling in a load of forms, not understanding how any of it works (which, lets be honest, is going to be the case ofr many of the uneducated poor, something Gordon Brown knows, something he knew when he introduced tax credits rather than tax cuts for the poor) and so these credits aren't going to be claimed, people are going to be left worse off. (longest sentence ever, I only just woke up, sorry) Socialism, my arse. New Labour are as bad as old Tories. The whole political spectrum has shifted to the right. The trouble Labour have got now is their core vote aren't going to turn out. The rich/poor divide has grown too far, but there's nobody the poor can vote for to represent their views. Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems are now all right wing. Its sickening.

Quote Originally Posted by naboo View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945704) Wrong, I'll suffer. You'll suffer at the loss of 300 quid ..... are you sure? Despite being a low-earner, I won't be affected very much cos of my tax credits - these forms everyone's moaning about took 10 minutes and save me hundreds each year. People are too lazy to fill a form in ..... fcuk 'em! Although it's quite right to say that the ditching of the 10p tax band was a huge mistake ..... it's just I'm not sure that it's being represented by the right people. Haven't really heard too much fuss from low earners, more from the likes of yourself who are a few quid worse off being caught up in the mix and don't like the fact that families get tax breaks and they don't. Not saying that this applies to you, but I would say that claiming you will "suffer" at the loss of 300 quid while you earn above average in a white-collar world is a tad melodramatic. I think we'll see the government turn around on this issue ..... it would seem to be a smart political move, because the Tories are milking it for all its worth and it doesn't take a genius to work out that they would have a huge rhetorical vacuum to fill if the government backtracked. It's all very interesting at the moment ..... history shows that sooner or later Cameron is going to have to announce something solid to back up his floppy-haired jabbering or hsi party wil suffer. Frankly, I can't really see where it's going to come from - there just aren't enough issues that he can gather support on ..... and despite his old school chums egging him on I think he don't dare play the immigrant card - he seems far too smart for that. Quote Originally Posted by naboo View Post (http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/living-and-working-in-the-uk/30727-boris-johnson-would-you-2.html#post945704) Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems are now all right wing. More like miserably centre-ground if you want my opinion.

I don't know how I'm going to get through it..... [image: http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/images/smilies/pityparty.gif]